Here are a few members of the cat family that most people don't see quite as often as your normal housecat! I find it remarkable that they are so similar in appearance to the domestic cat. Regardless of their size, it is easy to see that they are related to our housecats. And I think that all of them are just as strikingly beautiful.
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Spanish Lynx (Lynx pardinus) (43K)
The Spanish Lynx is a medium sized cat. It inhabits primarily the mountainous regions of Spain and Purtugal. The species is becoming very rare and is highly endangered.
Caracal (Felis caracal) (33K)
The Caracal lives in Africa, the Middle East and SW Asia. This is another medium sized cat. It has large, conspicuous black ear tufts. These animals can be tamed and have actually been trained to hunt.
Marbled Cat (Felis marmorata) (32K)
The Marbled Cat is only a little larger than a domestic cat. It lives in Asian forests. The animal is little known and has not been widely observed in the wild.
Ocelot (Felis pardalis) (16K)
The Ocelot lives in the southern part of the United States, and its range extends south into the tropic regions of Central and South America. It is classified as an endangered species, primarily due to slaughter for its very beautiful coat.
Serval (Felis serval) (25K)
The Serval lives over most of Africa. It's well adapted to finding rodents, its favorite food. The Serval uses its large ears to listen for rodents and can easily detect them either above or below the ground.
Margay (Felis weidii) (29K)
The Margay lives in dense forests in tropical Central America to Brazil. It is very rare. It is well adapted for life in trees, where it spends most of its time. It can rotate its rear feet through 180 degrees allowing it to easily descend a tree trunk head first. It can also run along the underside of branches and can hang from a branch by its rear feet. It is a small cat, weighing about 6 to 11 pounds (3 to 5 kg).
Clouded Leopard (Neofilis nebulosa) (43K)
The Clouded Leopard lives in Asia where it spends much of its time in trees. It is about as well adapted for maneuvering in trees as the Margay (above) and even sleeps high in trees. As happens all too often with beautiful cats, its numbers are declining due to hunting my man for its pelt. They are quite a bit larger than a housecat, weighing about 50 to 70 pounds (23 to 32 kg) at full maturity!
Bobcat (Lynx rufus) (38K)
The Bobcat dwells from southern Canada to northern Mexico in North America. It is larger than a domestic cat. The Bobcat hunts primarily for rabbits and hares.
European Wild Cat (Felis sylvestris sylvestris) (25K)
The European Wild Cat lives in various regions of Europe where there are not many humans. It is similar in appearance and size to a domestic cat but it is a bit stockier. It is secretive and shy and can be aggressive if cornered. Attempts to tame it usually end in failure.
Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatis) (35K)
In my humble opinion, the Cheetah is probably the most handsome and distinguished looking cat in existence. The distinctive 'tear stains' extending downward from each eye seem to give the Cheetah a unique and dignified look not seen in any other animal. The Cheetah has two other unique qualities that set it apart from all other animals - it is the fastest land animal in the world and it is the only cat that does not have sheaths to retract its claws into. Adults weight about 65 to 130 pounds (30 - 60 kg). They live primarily in Africa.
Cougar (Felis concolor) (30K)
Cougars bear a strong resemblence to Pumas (see Puma, below). Perhaps that's because Cougar is just another name for a Puma! It is also known as a Mountain Lion or a Panther. They live in North, Central, and South America
Cougar (Felis concolor) (30K)
Here's another Cougar. Magnificient!!
Cougar Kittens (Felis concolor) (29K)
Here's a reminder that the big cats all start out in life as cute, cuddly-looking kittens!
King Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatis) (54K)
The King Cheetah is thought to be a variation of the ordinary Cheetah, hence the same scientific name. One of the biggest differences is the coat, the King Cheetah has bold black spots and swirls. They seem to prefer forested areas more than the common Cheetah and are more nocturnal.
Puma (Felis concolor) (23K)
Here is a Puma, which you met above as a Cougar. In North America, it is the largest wild cat. Adults weigh in at 79 - 227 pounds (36 - 103 kg). That's a lot of kitty-cat if you ask me!!
Northern Lynx (Lynx lynx) (31K)
This lynx lives in the northern forests of Europe and Asia. It is a medium sized cat, with adults weighing 44 - 84 pounds (20 - 38 kg). It prefers rabbits and hares for lunch, but in its forest environment with harsh winters, it will eat anything it can, such as small deer, chipmunks, rats and mice.
White Tiger (Panthera tigris) (24K)
This cat is really just a mutant of the normal black-striped orange animal we normally think of as a Tiger. It is the largest member of the cat family and it is the largest living hunter of any kind in the world. It weighs up to 700 pounds (320 kg). It can kill and drag off prey weighing up to 500 pounds (230 kg). It is native to the Asian continent.
Tiger (Panthera Tigris) (35K)
Here is another Tiger, this one has what most people would call normal color for a Tiger. This picture was taken at the Zoo of Belo Horizonte in Brazil. Many thanks to my human cousins Ro and Roberto in Brazil for sending me this picture!
Jaguar (Panthera onca) (44K)
This is another nice picture from my cousins Ro and Roberto. This is a beautiful Jaguar. The Jaguar is the third largest of all cats, only the Tiger and Lion are larger. Jaguar's look similar to the Leopard, but the Jaguar is heavier and stockier than the Leopard and has more powerful teeth and jaws. The Jaguar's spots are also slightly different from the Leopard's. They weigh up to about 300 pounds (138 kg) and live from Argentina to Mexico.
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